Assessment of Knowledge and Premises Inspection Performance of Field Mosquito Control Assistants in the Kalutara, Sri Lanka

Abstract

Introduction

Dengue fever is a major vector-borne disease in tropical regions, transmitted primarily by the female Aedes mosquito. In Sri Lanka, Field Assistants in Mosquito Control (FAMC) are government employees fully dedicated for mosquito control work without legislative powers. They inspect house to house and give instructions to household as required. Effective prevention relies heavily on the knowledge and practices of these field assistants. Assessing their understanding of dengue transmission, mosquito breeding habits, and control measures is essential to identify gaps and strengthen intervention strategies.

Objective

To assess the knowledge and premises inspection process of Mosquito Control Field Assistants in Mosquito Control (FAMC) in Kalutara, Sri Lanka in relevant to prevention of dengue control.

Methods

A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among field assistants who were in service during the time of data collection, attached to Medical Officer of Health officers in Kalutara Regional Director of Health service area. A pretested, interviewer-administered questionnaire and a direct observation checklist were used for data collection. Knowledge was assessed through Descriptive statistics were applied to summarize data and associations were calculated using Chi square test with 0.05 significance level.

Results

Dengue Control Field Assistants had good basic knowledge on Dengue prevention; however, their inspection process was not satisfactory. There was no relationship between the knowledge and the inspection quality.

Conclusion

The workforce of FAMC possesses high foundational knowledge; however, the knowledge does not impact on their performance. Field oriented training and regular supervision is suggested.